~ Life & Real Estate

Monthly Archives: August 2013

Today something was mentioned to me I had totally forgotten about, The Secret. I remember years ago everyone was embracing the book, the tips and the video like it was a lifeline.

Was it just our frame of mind that led us to believe The Secret held magical powers to better our lives? Or have we just learned to apply the principles and forgotten the source?

I wasn’t one of the people hopped up on the belief that this way of thinking could completely change my life. However, I’ve also always been more of the optimist than the pessimist. I can see how it has changed lives for anyone that has a tendency towards the negative, but it hasn’t been on my recommended reading list for years. However, real estate can really be a difficult business for those that lean more towards the pessimistic side. Is there a new ‘magical’ book that has replaced The Secret?

Personally, I just teach my agents to think more on the positive side. Around here I like to call it ‘purposely changing your mind’. Of course, today, I am remembering and expressing gratitude for the book that made me pay attention to my attitude. The Secret didn’t change my life, but it sure gave me more ammo against Negative Ned & Nelly. The principles are definitely still relevant.

For my office, July was our busiest month so far this year. Overall sales were down, but sales price stayed on the rise and inventory has increased. (We’re really bringing in some great listings for our fall buyers.)

Clay/Ray Counties
Clay/Ray County sales were down for the month by 5.9% from 2012. Units were at 338 versus 359 last year. Year to date, unit sales are up 3.5%, with 2,627 units this year versus 2,538 last year.
The average sales price for the month was up 7.8% from last year, with an average price of $162,987. Year to date, the average price is up 8.8%. The average price is $156,768, versus $144,126 last year.
New listings were up 78 units to 6121 or 14.6% from last year’s 533 units. Inventory is down 4.0% from last year and is running at 2,006 units. Inventory is up 12 units from last month.

Platte County
Platte County sales were down for the month by 3.8% from 2012. Units were at 154 versus 160 last year. Year to date, unit sales are up 7.1%, with 1,156 units this year versus 1,079 last year.
The average sales price for the month was up 20.3% from last year, with an average price of $208,297. Year to date, the average price is up 7.8% from last year. The average price is $201,717 versus $187,105 last year.
New listings in Platte County were up 22 units to 256 or 9.4% from the 234 units last year. Inventory decreased 9.0% from last year and is running at 880 units. Inventory is down 15 units from last month.

Heartland
Sales for the entire Heartland area were at 2,472, down for the month by 6.4%, or 170 units. The average price was up 14.6%, and averaging $197,335. Year to date, sales were up 7.0% or 1,304 units for a total of 19,866 for 2013. The average price for the year is running at $180,730, up 9.4% from 2012’s average of $165,242.

I had an interesting conversation yesterday about greed and the business of commissioned service providers, such as real estate agents.

Before I launch, let me share some of my background. I’m the daughter of a Baptist minister and I was fortunate to be raised in a loving, but strict, Christian home. We commonly had discussions about the rights and wrongs in our society with daily warnings of how we should act. I’ll say this helped shape me, but it did not mold me. Life has taken care of the lessons that have caused me to either embrace or change my opinion about how my parents wanted me to think.

Now back to Greed. As you know, greed is one of the seven deadly sins. Calm yourself, I’m stepping down from the pulpit now.

If you’re like me and you grew up believing greed is bad, how do you wrap your head around charging what you’re worth? After all, you could provide the service for free. You’ve studied, you’ve prepared, you’ve gained experience…you have knowledge that leads people to seek you out and ask for your help. This knowledge has not come to you for free or by osmosis, so why would you give it away for free? It is not greedy to charge for services rendered. It’s also not greedy to up your fee as your knowledge and experiences grow.

If you set your own price, here’s a few things to consider to help get past the greed issue and turn it into confidence in your value.

Are you providing a higher or lower level of service than others?

Are there fees you incur before you get paid?

What is the level of risk of not getting paid at all?

What extra classes have you taken that make your value higher?

Once you’ve considered these and your other questions, make notes as to why you’ve set your price at a certain level. Keep these notes and refer back to them at times when the greed thoughts creep in and to constantly remind yourself you are worth what you charge.

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The Gist

Joanna jumped into the real estate business in 2000 and never looked back. A glance through her resume would have anyone confused because she’s actually never left the company with which she started. Change in the market and changes in ownership and locations have filled her 13 years in the real estate world. Change is a scary word for some, but Joanna has embraced it with courage and made the decision to not only survive, but to thrive. To break it down Prudential Snook was sold to Prudential Carter-Duffey in 2006, which was sold to Prudential Kansas City in 2009, which then rebranded themselves with a new franchise (Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate) in late 2012. Her personal motto is ‘Consistent Pursuit of Improvement’, which is clear in her dedication to her company, people and local real estate association.